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Monday, November 4, 2013

Saudi education catching up with world’s best

The revamped national curriculum in the Saudi public education system
has rattled schools, with significant changes taking place over the past
few years.These reforms are the biggest in education since the
establishment of modern Saudi Arabia. The changes have affected over
five million students across the country.The re-written national
curriculum addresses the long-held criticism of Saudi public education
for its rote nature of teaching. This has become obsolete in a more
challenging era of economic and technological prosperity, proliferation
of information and competitiveness. Hussein Al-Oufi, co-author of
the new Arabic language courses, told Arab News that it had taken five
years of dedicated work before the Ministry of Education approved the
revised Arabic curriculum now taught in elementary and intermediate
schools.“Teachers are no longer the only source of information for
students,” he said. The old image of the teacher in the classroom has
changed. The teacher’s new role is that of a facilitator of learning, as
the students engage in a more collaborative learning environment with
textbooks as just one tool for gaining knowledge, he said. Major
learning objectives for Arabic language lessons were simply packaged in a
more language communicative approach balancing listening, speaking,
reading, and writing skills, he said. This was in a sharp contrast
with the old Arabic language fragmented, skill-based curriculum that
focused on memorization and repetition drills, which added a cognitive
load to students, he said.“The change allows students to acquire
skills such as conception, practice, critical thinking, innovation and
creativity, helping Saudi students to be more competitive with pupils
abroad,” Al-Oufi added. The new education policy in the country has
taken the "constructivism learning theory" as a base for modernizing
education through discovery, practice, experience and collaboration.Subject
matters such as history and geography are also introduced in a more
relevant and cohesive approach in one single textbook, and best of all,
in a more appealing fashion, he added.Ibrahim Al-Ghamdi, a school
principal, said it was a step in the right direction with a more
balanced and integral curriculum that helps students connect the dots
and make the connection of the knowledge acquired in each subject.“It does not only meet the students’ needs, but also the requirements of the national development plans,” he said. Al-Ghamdi
added that the new curricular changes could provide learning skills
that students need to acquire knowledge and search for information
wherever it may be. They also reinforce Islamic and national values and
principles, such as moderation, tolerance, loyalty to the homeland, and
preserving its accomplishments, he said.“Unless we take the
initiative to develop our educational system, we would surely pay the
cost,” said Ahmed Jarallah, a high school teacher. “We can consult
curricula in developed countries, without compromising our Islamic
identity,” he said.Nawaf Khazmari, a high school student, said that
he and his classmates were happy to see the curriculum delivered with
interesting topics, art and illustrations that make it easier for
students to digest. “They know we would love visual aids,” he said. “Evening
homework is more fun now with the new textbooks, but we would love the
next step for the homework to be digital” said Ayman Jamal, another high
school student.The Ministry of Education has gradually, over the
past three years, introduced a university-like system, converting high
schools into mini-campuses. The new system follows a semester-based
university system, including admission and graduation requirements, two
specialization tracks of science and humanities, and a study plan of 200
required credit hours. Mona Al-Ghamdi, a high school teacher of
Islamic studies, said: “A good student can finish high school in less
than three years.”The proposed changes have sparked a push back,
however. “Everything seems in order regarding curricula, but where are
the educational aids that can help us make the classroom environment
more interesting?” asked a high school teacher who spoke on the
condition of anonymity. The government has allocated some SR9 billion
for the Tatweer (development) project, which began in 2008. “We can’t
yet feel that development in our working environment and classrooms,” he
said. “With such a big sum of money, we thought our schools would be
like castles in the sky,” he added.“It seems that the Education
Ministry is determined to make a real change, but this will not happen
unless it provides the teachers with all educational aids they need,
including the professional development of teachers,” he said. Teachers
are hopeful to see their students getting rid of their heavy backpacks
with textbooks. “All the students needs can be downloaded on a laptop,”
he said. The Ministry of Education has earlier pledged support to
make the new system work. With 786 high schools across the country thus
far implementing the new system, the ministry will provide these schools
with the necessary human, academic, financial, technological and
technical resources, said Kahled Al-Sabti, deputy minister of education.